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Judging the Infamous HarlotRevelation—Its Grand Climax At Hand!
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22. (a) What kind of beast has the great harlot chosen to ride? (b) How does John describe the symbolic harlot Babylon the Great?
22 The apostle John is soon to learn that the great harlot has chosen a dangerous beast to ride. First, though, his attention turns to Babylon the Great herself. She is richly adorned, but, oh, how repulsive she is! “And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and was adorned with gold and precious stone and pearls and had in her hand a golden cup that was full of disgusting things and the unclean things of her fornication. And upon her forehead was written a name, a mystery: ‘Babylon the Great, the mother of the harlots and of the disgusting things of the earth.’ And I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the holy ones and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus.”—Revelation 17:4-6a.
23. What is the full name of Babylon the Great, and what is its significance?
23 As was the custom in ancient Rome, this prostitute is identified by the name on her forehead.d It is a long name: “Babylon the Great, the mother of the harlots and of the disgusting things of the earth.” That name is “a mystery,” something with hidden meaning. But in God’s due time, the mystery is to be explained. In fact, the angel gives John enough information to allow Jehovah’s servants today to discern the full significance of this descriptive name. We recognize Babylon the Great as being all of false religion. She is “the mother of the harlots” because all the individual false religions in the world, including the many sects in Christendom, are like her daughters, imitating her in committing spiritual harlotry. She is also the mother of “disgusting things” in that she has given birth to such revolting offspring as idolatry, spiritism, fortune-telling, astrology, palmistry, human sacrifice, temple prostitution, drunkenness in honor of false gods, and other obscene practices.
24. Why is it appropriate that Babylon the Great is seen to be dressed in “purple and scarlet” and is “adorned with gold and precious stone and pearls”?
24 Babylon the Great is dressed in “purple and scarlet,” the colors of royalty, and is “adorned with gold and precious stone and pearls.” How appropriate! Just reflect on all the magnificent buildings, rare statues and paintings, priceless icons, and other religious paraphernalia, as well as astronomical amounts of property and cash, that this world’s religions have accumulated. Whether at the Vatican, in the TV empire of evangelism centered in the United States, or in the exotic wats and temples of the Orient, Babylon the Great has amassed—and at times lost—fabulous wealth.
25. (a) What is symbolized by the contents of the “golden cup that was full of disgusting things?” (b) In what sense is the symbolic harlot drunk?
25 Look now at what the harlot has in her hand. John must have gasped at the sight of it—a golden cup “full of disgusting things and the unclean things of her fornication”! This is the cup containing “the wine of the anger of her fornication” with which she has made all the nations drunk. (Revelation 14:8; 17:4) It looks rich on the outside, but its contents are disgusting, unclean. (Compare Matthew 23:25, 26.) It contains all the filthy practices and lies that the great harlot has used to seduce the nations and bring them under her influence. Even more revolting, John sees that the harlot herself is inebriated, drunk with the blood of God’s servants! In fact, we later read that “in her was found the blood of prophets and of holy ones and of all those who have been slaughtered on the earth.” (Revelation 18:24) What massive bloodguilt!
26. What evidence is there of bloodguilt on the part of Babylon the Great?
26 Over the centuries, the world empire of false religion has shed oceans of blood. For example, in medieval Japan, temples in Kyoto were transformed into fortresses, and warrior-monks, invoking “the holy name of Buddha,” battled one another until the streets ran red with blood. In the 20th century, the clergy of Christendom marched with the armies of their respective countries, and these slaughtered one another, with the loss of at least a hundred million lives. In October 1987 former U.S. president Nixon said: “The 20th century has been the bloodiest in history. More people have been killed in the wars of this century than in all the wars fought before the century began.” The religions of the world are judged adversely by God for their share in all of this; Jehovah detests “hands that are shedding innocent blood.” (Proverbs 6:16, 17) Earlier, John heard a cry from the altar: “Until when, Sovereign Lord holy and true, are you refraining from judging and avenging our blood upon those who dwell on the earth?” (Revelation 6:10) Babylon the Great, the mother of the harlots and of the disgusting things of the earth, will be deeply involved when the time comes to answer that question.
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An Awesome Mystery SolvedRevelation—Its Grand Climax At Hand!
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1. (a) How does John react at seeing the great harlot and her fearsome mount, and why? (b) How does the John class today react as events unfold in fulfillment of the prophetic vision?
WHAT is John’s reaction at seeing the great harlot and her fearsome mount? He himself answers: “Well, on catching sight of her I wondered with great wonderment.” (Revelation 17:6b) Mere human imagination could never conjure up such a sight. Yet, there it is—away out in a wilderness—a debauched prostitute perched on a gruesome, scarlet-colored wild beast! (Revelation 17:3) The John class today also wonders with great wonderment as events unfold in fulfillment of the prophetic vision. If people of the world could see it, they would exclaim, ‘Incredible!’ and the world’s rulers would echo, ‘Unthinkable!’ But the vision becomes a startling reality in our day. God’s people have already had a remarkable share in the vision’s fulfillment, and this assures them that the prophecy will move right on to its astounding climax.
2. (a) In response to John’s amazement, what does the angel tell him? (b) What has the John class had revealed to it, and how has this been done?
2 The angel notices John’s amazement. “And so,” John continues, “the angel said to me: ‘Why is it you wondered? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the wild beast that is carrying her and that has the seven heads and the ten horns.’” (Revelation 17:7) Ah, the angel will now unravel the mystery! He explains to the wide-eyed John the various facets of the vision and the dramatic events that are about to unfold. Likewise, as it serves under angelic direction today, the watchful John class has had revealed to it the understanding of the prophecy. “Do not interpretations belong to God?” Like faithful Joseph, we believe that they do. (Genesis 40:8; compare Daniel 2:29, 30.) God’s people are placed, as it were, center stage as Jehovah interprets to them the meaning of the vision and its impact on their lives. (Psalm 25:14) Right on time, he has opened up to their understanding the mystery of the woman and of the wild beast.—Psalm 32:8.
3, 4. (a) What public talk was given by N. H. Knorr in 1942, and how did it identify the scarlet-colored wild beast? (b) What words spoken by the angel to John were discussed by N. H. Knorr?
3 From September 18 to 20, 1942, at the height of World War II, Jehovah’s Witnesses in the United States held their New World Theocratic Assembly. The key city, Cleveland, Ohio, was tied in by telephone with more than 50 other convention cities, for a peak attendance of 129,699. Where wartime conditions permitted, other conventions repeated the program around the world. At the time, many of Jehovah’s people expected that the war would escalate into God’s war of Armageddon; hence the title of the public talk, “Peace—Can It Last?,” aroused much curiosity. How could the new president of the Watch Tower Society, N. H. Knorr, presume to talk about peace when the very opposite seemed to be in store for the nations?a The reason was that the John class was paying “more than the usual attention” to God’s prophetic Word.—Hebrews 2:1; 2 Peter 1:19.
4 What light did the talk “Peace—Can It Last?” throw on the prophecy? Clearly identifying the scarlet-colored wild beast of Revelation 17:3 as the League of Nations, N. H. Knorr went on to discuss its stormy career on the basis of the angel’s following words to John: “The wild beast that you saw was, but is not, and yet is about to ascend out of the abyss, and it is to go off into destruction.”—Revelation 17:8a.
5. (a) How was it that “the wild beast . . . was” and then “is not”? (b) How did N. H. Knorr answer the question, “Will the League remain in the pit?”
5 “The wild beast . . . was.” Yes, it had existed as the League of Nations from January 10, 1920, onward, with 63 nations participating at one time or another. But, in turn, Japan, Germany, and Italy withdrew, and the former Soviet Union was dropped from the League. In September 1939 the Nazi dictator of Germany launched World War II.b Having failed to keep peace in the world, the League of Nations virtually plunged into an abyss of inactivity. By 1942 it had become a has-been. Neither before this nor at some later date—but right at that critical time—did Jehovah interpret to his people the full depth of meaning of the vision! At the New World Theocratic Assembly, N. H. Knorr could declare, in line with the prophecy, that “the wild beast . . . is not.” He then asked the question, “Will the League remain in the pit?” Quoting Revelation 17:8, he answered: “The association of worldly nations will rise again.” That is just how it proved to be—in vindication of Jehovah’s prophetic Word!
Ascending out of the Abyss
6. (a) When did the scarlet-colored wild beast climb out of the abyss, and with what new name? (b) Why is the United Nations actually a revival of the scarlet-colored wild beast?
6 The scarlet-colored wild beast did indeed climb out of the abyss. On June 26, 1945, with noisy fanfare in San Francisco, U.S.A., 50 nations voted to accept the Charter of the United Nations organization. This body was “to maintain international peace and security.” There were many similarities between the League and the UN. The World Book Encyclopedia notes: “In some ways, the UN resembles the League of Nations, which was organized after World War I . . . Many of the nations that founded the UN had also founded the League. Like the League, the UN was established to help keep peace between nations. The main organs of the UN are much like those of the League.” The UN, then, is actually a revival of the scarlet-colored wild beast. Its membership of some 190 nations far exceeds that of the League’s 63; it has also taken on broader responsibilities than its predecessor.
7. (a) In what way have earth’s dwellers wondered admiringly at the revived scarlet-colored wild beast? (b) What goal has eluded the UN, and what did its secretary-general say in this regard?
7 At first, great hopes were expressed for the UN. This was in fulfillment of the angel’s words: “And when they see how the wild beast was, but is not, and yet will be present, those who dwell on the earth will wonder admiringly, but their names have not been written upon the scroll of life from the founding of the world.” (Revelation 17:8b) Earth’s dwellers have admired this new colossus, operating from its imposing headquarters on New York’s East River. But true peace and security have eluded the UN. For much of the 20th century, world peace was maintained only by the threat of “mutual assured destruction”—MAD, as it is abbreviated—and the arms race has continued to escalate astronomically. After almost 40 years of effort by the United Nations, its then secretary-general, Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, lamented in 1985: “We are living in another age of fanatics, and we don’t know what to do about it.”
8, 9. (a) Why does the UN not have the answers to the world’s problems, and what will shortly happen to it according to God’s decree? (b) Why do the UN’s founders and admirers not have their names recorded in God’s “scroll of life”? (c) What will Jehovah’s Kingdom successfully accomplish?
8 The UN does not have the answers. And why? Because the Giver of life to all mankind is not the UN’s life-giver. Its life span will be short, for according to God’s decree, “it is to go off into destruction.” The UN’s founders and admirers do not have their names recorded in God’s scroll of life. How could sinful, mortal men, many of whom mock God’s name, achieve through the UN what Jehovah God has declared he is about to accomplish, not by human means, but through the Kingdom of his Christ?—Daniel 7:27; Revelation 11:15.
9 The UN is actually a blasphemous counterfeit of God’s Messianic Kingdom by his Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ—to whose princely rule there will be no end. (Isaiah 9:6, 7) Even if the UN were to patch up some temporary peace, wars would soon erupt again. This is in the nature of sinful men. “Their names have not been written upon the scroll of life from the founding of the world.” Jehovah’s Kingdom by Christ will not only establish eternal peace on earth but, on the basis of Jesus’ ransom sacrifice, raise the dead, the righteous and the unrighteous who are in God’s memory. (John 5:28, 29; Acts 24:15) This includes everyone who has remained steadfast despite the attacks of Satan and his seed, and others who have yet to show themselves obedient. Obviously, God’s scroll of life will never contain the names of die-hard adherents of Babylon the Great or of any who continued to worship the wild beast.—Exodus 32:33; Psalm 86:8-10; John 17:3; Revelation 16:2; 17:5.
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